The New York Times interviewed Nancy Dubuc, president and general manger of the History Channel, for a piece on their new “America” mini-series. The conversation turned to the torrent of non-historical programming that has inundated the network. Here’s an excerpt:

“The History channel under Ms. Dubuc has expanded what qualifies for its programming lineup, incorporating popular series like ‘Pawn Stars’ and ‘Ice Road Truckers.’ Ms. Dubuc, apologizing for being ‘testy,’ dismissed criticisms that the new shows take History away from its core mission, saying they aren’t reality shows but ‘vérité documentaries on people doing history today.'”

This is the scariest part I think, “When History announced this ambitious project in December, our goal was A-list auspices behind and in front of the camera,” said History prexy/GM Nancy Dubuc — a day after Dubuc added oversight of Lifetime to her duties. (It’s been a good week for Dubuc, who’s also celebrating April as History’s most-watched month ever.)”
So Duboc isn’t leaving for Lifetime just adding it to her job description. That “Ice ROad Truckers” spinoff we talked about today may still happen.